Born in Portugal, Rocha became a Christian in 1583.
He joined a missionary trip to India in 1586 and studied philosophy there.
He then proceeded to Macao
and majored in Theology. In 1598, Rocha came to China preaching in Shaozhou and Nanchang.
He arrived at Nanjing in 1601, and baptized
Xu Guangqi and Huo Taisu.
During the
Nanjing Missionary Case in 1616, Rocha escaped to Jiangxi, Fujian and Jiangsu. Eventually, he settled in Hangzhou, staying at the house Yang Tingjun. He dies in 1623, leaving behind the following book, 'Inspiration of Catholicism' and 'A Brief Discussion on God's Character'.